Restarting The Diesel Engine - Episode 313 - Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat

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Күн бұрын

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Steve, Robin, and Akiva are spending the week at a mooring in Mattapoisett while they take care of a few important to-dos before beginning their journey north up the coast of Maine.
If you tuned in to last week’s episode, you know that Arabella's engine died just outside the channel going into Cuttyhunk Island. Well, it’s time to see if any permanent damage was done, and if Arabella will be able to fire up its engine again soon.
After an oil change and some coaxing, the engine did fire up and ran for a few minutes at idle. However, the oil light came back on pretty much immediately. With plenty of oil and solid oil pressure, Steve is perplexed by what the issue could be...so he called in the experts at Nanni to come take a look.
Turns out, there was an airlock in the motor that prevented it from receiving fuel. After some exploring, the airflow is back to normal, the engine is getting fuel, and no serious damage has been done. Phew...
Another important to-do is getting Starlink up and running on DC power. While in Harwich Port, Steve and Robin ran their Starlink dish off of shore power. Now that they’re cruising again, there’s no access to shore power, and while Starlink could technically run off their inverters, it’s more efficient to run it off of DC power. Of course, there’s little to no info on how to perform this conversion. Steve's first few attempts unfortunately failed.
After getting some useless information from a Starlink tech, Robin and Steve phoned a few friends, who were able to collaborate on a fix. Starlink is officially running off of DC power and good to go, just in time for cruising season. Robin is thrilled to be able to run her business from the cockpit this summer!
Of course, since Starlink is now drawing on the boat's battery bank, the amount of power being generated on deck needs to increase. Installing a few more solar panels should do the trick. There are a few more rigid solar panels that could provide more power...but will it be enough to power Starlink? Only time will tell...
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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Пікірлер: 286

@FilipeNeto616 2 ай бұрын

1. Diesel oil turns black easily, that's normal. 2. If possible, you sould fill the new filter with new oil before putting in place. 3. Pass your finger with oil in the gasket before putting the filter on. It will helps to prevent future leaks. 4. Firmly hand tight the oil filter. It's enough, otherwise you could have leaks in the future. Enjoy your boat, and please keep sharing the videos with us. I'm a follower since the pouring lead keel.

@robertgarbe6348 2 ай бұрын

YOUR #2 is wrong. Filling the filter is unnecessary, and can introduce contaminates into filter in the process. The couple of seconds it takes for the filter to fill, especially if you turn off the fuel till the pressure comes up. And it can be very messy.

@russnixon6020 2 ай бұрын

I’ll add my agreement to this comment. I’ve been running diesel cars for decades now.

@shadetreewelding 2 ай бұрын

@@robertgarbe6348 I will disagree with you. If you are putting in new oil and are careful installing the filter you will not introduce any more debris than the oil change itself introduces.

@benfromalbuquerque6083 2 ай бұрын

Contrary to generational ineptitude, Stephen isn’t a dumbshit. He is one of few Millennials who punches above the failure rate of the rest of us and can probably even change oil on terrestrial relocation devices. Carry on.

@FilipeNeto616 2 ай бұрын

@@robertgarbe6348 indeed it's possible. Not probable, but possible. Nevertheless no more than pouring new oil to the engine itself through the cap. There is no such thing as the right way. Usually, whenever it's possible, people tend to fill the oil filter to avoid running the first few seconds with poor oil pressure.

@PeterStrand-pd7gs 2 ай бұрын

If you follow the instructions for installing a new oil filter, you can throw that strap wrench away and you will never have a leaking filter.

@fredflintstone8048 2 ай бұрын

It's true. Hand tight is good enough.. No need to crank on it with a strap wrench, that only makes it harder to get off later.

@jaygee5693 2 ай бұрын

@@fredflintstone8048 Correct, and it over-compresses the gasket which can cause leakage later on. Firmly hand-tight is ideal. Don't throw away the strap-wrench though, you'll need it when you're removing a filter that someone else has over-tightened!

@pagegreer5081 2 ай бұрын

It is Deisel. Dark is very normal.

@fredflintstone8048 2 ай бұрын

My diesel engine turns the new oil black in no time. The lubricating properties are still alive and well when it's black. I use full synthetic.

@Tillersweep 2 ай бұрын

Wow! That is so much easier than my sprinter van. Diesel oil gets black fast.

@VenturiLife 2 ай бұрын

Correct. Oil in a Diesel goes black almost immediately. Not unusual, and not like a petrol engine. Just change the oil on the recommended intervals, and try to avoid running the engine less than 1/2 an hour or so to prevent cylinder glazing, ie. let it get up to temp before switching it off.

@SootHead 2 ай бұрын

It's normal for diesels to darken the oil very quickly. It's soot and that's a byproduct of the combustion process, especially with the imprecise, old-school mechanically injected engines like you have. Two other things: You overtightened the oil filter. You want hand tight... tight as you can with your hand but not "yarded" with more leverage. Second, since you have an upright oil filter, you can easily fill it prior to the first start and it shortens the time the engine self primes and is run basically without lubrication for a second or so.

@flossdaly8274 2 ай бұрын

Excellent advice on the filter. I noticed that too and was cringing as he cranked it tight. Over tightening runs the risk of crimping and slicing the o-ring, creating a leakage possibility. Pre-filling the filter is a good idea when the design of the engine allows.

@davidtasker6729 2 ай бұрын

Soot from the Diesel always turns a diesels oil black, it’s because of the detergents they put in oil. On navy ships the oil was black as coffee from the galley the first time you ran it an hour, new engine or not. Like your setup but it looks like it’s hard to get into to work on.

@stick004 2 ай бұрын

Totally normal. It’s a diesel.

@robertgarbe6348 2 ай бұрын

yep 10 minutes after the change, black as black. Suprized he don’t know that.

@svendholme3627 2 ай бұрын

Having had two diesel autos and two sailboats with marine diesels my experience has taught me that: Diesel engines turn their oil black within hours after being changed. So pitch black oil in a diesel is normal. Being a belt & suspenders guy I mount a small mechanical oil gauge directly to an oil port on the engine or mount it on a "T" to the electrical oil pickup. Either purchase a hard copy or download an OEM service manual and a parts manual for your model engine. Once, being able to provide the proper part number saved me in a remote location from a mechanic having to make two trips to service our engine. And another time the mechanic took a guess and ordered the wrong part so manuals save time and money. Also the parts manual aids in showing the proper order when reassembling a repair. Air introduced during a fuel filter change is not uncommon so learn how to properly bleed the injection pump and injectors. There is a steep learning curve the first year you own/sail a boat. Good luck.

@GregoryVeizades 2 ай бұрын

I'm shocked it's not self bleeding.

@matthewcericola8487 2 ай бұрын

ALWAYS pre-fill the oil filter when possible - normal for the oil to be pitch black on a diesel engine after only a few hours

@psteen67 2 ай бұрын

Strap wrenches are for removing oil filters, never for installing them. Hand tight is the way to go.

@russwabuda1556 2 ай бұрын

steve, i have been looking back over the installments over the years. it is amazing just how far arabella has gotten. i think that it is easy to forget all of the tribulations of the build now that the first anniversary of the the launch looms. you must be a very proud man that you not only achieved so much, but you had the stanema and grit to be poised here. please reflect on past successes, and may those strengths enable you to face the future with a stedfast momentum and resolve. and as always, and for years, i send you my best wishes.

@juliancrooks3031 2 ай бұрын

Glad to see Akiva was there to do quality control. He's been there from the beginning making sure everything is done correctly.

@fulkrenf91 2 ай бұрын

Morning Steve. Just to affirm what others are saying, Diesel oil does turn black very quickly because of the detergents in it. It's not a sign of engine trouble. As long as there's no forbidden glitter or water in the oil you're fine. Also, that filter is way too tight. After applying a light coat of oil to the filter gasket you should only need to put it on firmly hand tight. Over-tightening the filter cause it to leak.

@charles.neuman18 2 ай бұрын

Did I miss something? What was the original problem causing the engine to stop? If oil was low, is the engine leaking oil or burning it, or is it normal to lose a crucial amount of oil?

@gregoryschmidt1233 2 ай бұрын

Wondering that myself. Wouldn't you get an oil warning long before you ran the engine completely out of oil?

@erlixerlix7573 2 ай бұрын

Never ever tighten an oil filter with a tool. Put oil on the seal and tighten by hand that is all that is needed. You do not even need to tighten it very hard by hand.

@thistledown6026 2 ай бұрын

Just three quarters of a turn by hand, after first gasket/o-ring contact, according to every package insert I've seen.

@immaculatelation 2 ай бұрын

I agree. It somehow becomes much tighter by the time it's ready to come off. I have barely hand-tightened them more than once and then needed a wrench to remove them.

@halbritt 2 ай бұрын

Couple things, one, get some pig mat for oil changes and put a piece in the sink. Second thing is to get a used oil analysis from Blackstone Labs. It's around $35 plus $10 each for TBN and TAN which are optional, but you may want once or twice.

@Cess182sn 2 ай бұрын

With you having a vertically mounted oil filter, I would fill the new filter with oil before screwing it on. It minimises the time the oil is not being fed to the engine whilst the filter is being filled from empty.

@michaelc.3812 2 ай бұрын

Steven, ANY SHADE over a PV module will almost always reduce energy production by up to 90%! Shading on those modules shown in this video is hugely impactful. -Former NREL engineer here.

@EddieSchirmer 2 ай бұрын

i think it would be really interesting to design a type of out-rigger system with the solar panels on to get them out to an optimal position away from said shade. just needs to be engineered to be super light and maybe use flexible panels like a roll out shade itself, but be panels on an articulating arm (or two) that can fold or lift out of the way when not needed.

@lonewolfbackcountry3734 2 ай бұрын

not to mention they looked kinda dirty too which dont help but video is hard to tell

@abcadef6171 2 ай бұрын

@@EddieSchirmer Or one that you could stick out whichever is the sunny side of the boat maybe?

@michaelpperrault 2 ай бұрын

Oil samples can be used to detect any engine wear occurring that is not normal, and yes oil turns black quickly. My heavy truck engines call for oil changes at 500 hrs, I prefer 350-400 hrs per oil change. Our local ferry performs oil changes based on fuel consumed , not sure as to how much volume of fuel used warrants an oil change. The FV Kwuna has 2 C18 CATs. Michael from Sunny Sandspit

@sunny71169 2 ай бұрын

Steve-If the tech explained why you got an airlock in the fuel system please share the info. However, it sounds like you left the issue with "Gee, I wonder why that happened?" If so, it is going to happen again at the worst possibile time. Sea Tow, Tow Boat U.S.., the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary (bless them) are NOT always nearby. Small, portable gensets that run on propane are available. Pulsar, to name just one brand, makes a 2.2 kilowatt inverter generator that weighs just 44 pounds. Not as green as solar, but a whole lot more reliable, particularly when the sun isn't shining.

@26N80W 2 ай бұрын

You may already know this, but just in case, when picking up a mooring if you run your own bow line from the samson post through the mooring loop and back to the samson post you never have to bring the dirty mooring line one board. Enjoy your travels and living on a beautiful boat the you created. A life well earned.

@Smokkedandslammed 2 ай бұрын

I still remember coming across the keel pour for the first time and going "This guy is doing what with what?!" I dont care what the other diy wooden sailboat guys say about yous guys, Arabella will always be my favorite wooden sailboat. ❤

@m0redread 2 ай бұрын

what do other people say?

@Smokkedandslammed 2 ай бұрын

@@m0redread Nothing lol I was kidding, its a Dad joke "I dont care what they say about you, you're alright!"

@Josef_R 2 ай бұрын

It's wild how much wear is on the boat in just one year, it looks decades old now.

@rolandtb3 2 ай бұрын

So two separate issues and not sure how they are connected to the oil warning light. Maybe I missed something.Initially left the dock without checking the oil. Oil light came on and enginge stopped working. Changed the oil and filter. Ran the engine, topped up the oil but the oil light came on and either you turned the engine off or it no longer ran. The engine manufacturer's technician determined a diesel vapor lock prevented the engine from running. After several bleeding attempts, she purrs perfectly. Question was the fuel filter also changed when the oil filter was swapped out? Air leak in the fuel system or a combination of temperature variation and heavy sea state in the fuel system? Unsure about the root causes. It's running well now. Plus you have additional solar panels to power the Starlink. Later you may have ideas for a permanent home. Robin will be quite pleased.

@glencrandall7051 2 ай бұрын

There is always something that will need your attention. I hope they are all as easy as this one. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

@user-qh9lu5cl6n 2 ай бұрын

Checklists, checklists checklists Steve. Every single thing you do on board from the safety brief you give guests, to the process for doing the most mundane thing on board. Everything has a checklist. Eventually, many will become rote memory and you can ignore hauling out the checklist. But for the first few years, I'd say checklist binder comes out for just about everything.

@sparknflash3 2 ай бұрын

Good job troubleshooting the power draw/production. I'm sure you know that on PV panels, any shading cuts down on power produced, unlike solar thermal panels. This was a hard thing for my off grid customers to understand. Also beware of power consumption on super overcast days as your production will also be reduced. Enjoy your time on the water and thinking of your mom always!

@jonathanlewis1352 2 ай бұрын

If you think your diesel shut down because of low oil, you haven’t resolved the issue. If the tech thought it was starved of fuel, you haven’t found the problem. If you want to actually sail that boat, you can’t clutter the deck with all kinds of obstacles. At least you have a new sponsor that supposedly helps you sleep.

@lukeboelitz 2 ай бұрын

Yes. I also still don't understand the engine issue. It was totally out of oil? How? Did it shut down on it's own and refuse to start? Or was it shut off as a precaution. Maybe I just missed these details in previous videos but would be great to have a little recap.

@russseff1246 2 ай бұрын

I agree. What happened initially? Was the engine low on oil when you had to shut down initially?

@bentucker5009 2 ай бұрын

Yeah, something doesn't add up with the engine issue. Just how low did the oil go, how did it escape, and why did the engine shut down. If it actually shut down due to low oil pressure it would probably have restatted when It cooled, but probably with significant damage. Odd, and it concerns me that the issue isn't being resolved. Stuff like that needs to be properly understood before you take a boat to sea.

@Bluenoser613 2 ай бұрын

Oil is normal. Deisel starting problems are either compression or fuel. You always get to learn the behaviour of your particular engine.

@fredflintstone8048 2 ай бұрын

And most of the time it's a fuel problem and not the compression, but yes, those are the two variables .

@mrtank1967 2 ай бұрын

Blessings to you three to all your helpful friends and Kiva. Happy typing.

@robwgeorge 2 ай бұрын

The good news is that nothing happened and you'll never forget that item on the check-list again. I had my fingers crossed the whole time.

@sartorst3376 2 ай бұрын

Properly sized hose clamps are more important than you would think . Any time a filter is placed in an elevated position there is a potential for air lock unless it is being forced into it fuel filters in particular it can leak air in but not fuel out !

@Omnis2 2 ай бұрын

You need to put your panels in direct sun-- NO shade-- and put some reflector doors on the rigid ones to significantly increase the light they're collecting.

@ryan_mcme 2 ай бұрын

Good morning, 'bella fam! Happy Friday! ☕ Maine waits with open arms! ❤️

@Johannes58934 2 ай бұрын

4:11 The good thing about filters in this position (as in a SB Chevy) is that you can fill them with oil before installing... And I've changed a lot of filters in my time and never had to put one on with a wrench unless it was hard to access.

@paulkennedy5822 2 ай бұрын

You should have a small ball valve installed between the oil pan and the drain hose to prevent any accidental leakage

@thomaslemay8817 2 ай бұрын

Using a strap wrench to titen an oil filter is a very bad idea. It can make it extremely difficult to get it off next time ! I have seen damage engine blocks because of that self-inflicted problem. Read the instructions and do exactly what it said. Or do what you like , but save money so you can pay me to fix it for you when you discover the errors of your ways.

@Tinpig 2 ай бұрын

I'm curious whether you have ever attempted to move Arabella by securing Victoria alongside. Not for rough seas or long voyages but maybe enough to get you into a harbor if the diesel acts up.

@badcat4707 2 ай бұрын

Good morning Akiva 🐺 and Crew 👍😸😺🙏

@prereed 2 ай бұрын

Classic out Ben. Most excellent!

@fredflintstone8048 2 ай бұрын

New engines often dirty the oil with break in and clearing the small amount of debris that ends up in the oil passages and crankcase. Engines are not always assembled in a laboratory environment with employees wearing lab coats. Also the soot in a diesel will turn the oil black in no time. The oil is still just fine. It's not a bad practice to cut open the oil filters and take a look at the metal accumulation you end up with there. It was interesting to learn that Starlink doesn't like running on an inverter. The average cheap inverter doesn't produce the kind of sine wave that you get with normal AC power (shore power). There are high frequency components in the output (square wave) which can raise havoc with some electronics. Higher quality inverters tend to have more inductors in their output circuits creating a purer sine wave eliminating more of the high frequency distortion. Modern sailing technology offers a lot of conveniences but also presents a lot of new problems to the sailor. Over time the sea air will cause corrosion in the wiring and the connectors / exposed electrical conductors. The green crusties will be attacking the inside of the boat as the worms will be attacking the hull. Nature doesn't love the sailor in these regards.

@steveatkins1 2 ай бұрын

Good morning. I heard you say “Run Dry”, but you pumped out black oil so was it just really low? How many hours on the new engine? Our RV and Skidster (Diesel) have really black oil soon after oil changes. I’ve been told that is normal for diesel engines. Good episode. Happy sailing and generating power. Robin, watts are watts (DC or AC) your starlink requires the same power but to get it via the inverter requires power to run the inverter so by taking the inverter out of the picture you eliminated the power to run the inverter if in fact the inverter is off. In our RV that thing likes to run all the time. Only full battery cut off kills it or crawling in the equipment bay to shut the inverter off.

@marioreali5925 2 ай бұрын

By run dry I'm pretty positive he meant the fuel system. Even a tiny suction air leak will shut down a diesel after a period of time. The secondary fuel filter will slowly fill with air, the engine will shut down. That was not covered by warranty unless the leak was on the engine itself.

@steveatkins1 2 ай бұрын

@@marioreali5925 thanks for your reply. I’m a diesel newcomer. Our RV and Skidster were acquired in 2018. The Skidster is a little tank, clean fuel and it runs. 100% mechanical as I also learned the hard way about our RV 325HP “Cummins”. On the RV we had perfect idle but sometimes under load it would just stall. Took it to a RV guy who charged me for a new fuel pump and I didn’t make it out of his parking lot before it stalled again. Ended up at a real diesel mechanic place and with the engine idling and the engine cover open the service advisor asked me how long had it been doing “that”. Doing what I asked? He said air bubbling in your fuel filter assembly, he said. Diesel newbe said “for as long as I’ve had it.” Well that’s your problem the real diesel mechanic said, repaired it and we been driving it ever since. Even to the launch. So I got an education on air in the fuel system but my oil sensor never came on. What explains the oil sensor light. Unless it’s like the overtemp light on the RV. The subject for another post. Short answer the temperature sensor was faulty, proven by the two temperature sensors for the front (when driving) and rear (when working on the engine) temperature gauges.

@AcornToArabella 2 ай бұрын

It was just really low, for sure. Some more that was lying about went in to just get it showing on the dipstick after we were marooned at Cuttyhunk, but I don't know how much was there, we weren't able to get it restarted that night at all. Steve has learned a lot from this one.

@russseff1246 2 ай бұрын

You need to figure out why it got so low. It's basically a new engine. It's either burning it or it's leaking. Have you checked the bilge under the engine? Also, my engine (315 h.p yanmar will show very little oil on the dipstick if I don't wait at least 15 minutes after shutting down to check the level.

@graemeoliver744 2 ай бұрын

@@russseff1246agree, a new diesel should leak zero oil. where did all the oil go?

@michaelgillespie6526 2 ай бұрын

Good morning Arabella crew from Victoria 🇨🇦. Thanks for bringing us along! Thinking of you and your family a lot and we wish you fair winds! Enjoy these days, they're all part of Life's adventure. You seem particularly well skilled at navigating it's hurdles. Sail on!

@Parknest 2 ай бұрын

As others have already said, diesel engine oil will go black very quickly so I wouldn't be too worried about it. There are differeing opinions about prefilling the oil filter (I hope you lubricated the seal before you fitted it) but I prefer to prefill them myself. I would recommend changing the engine oil every 6 months. Those type of oil filters should by tightened up by hand only. Using the wrench to tighten a cartridge oil filter is a big no-no in my book. I once had to battle a cartridge oil filter on a 2007 VW Beetle that had been overtightened. I broke a strap wrench and the "old school" screwdriver through the filter method didn't work either. I ended up getting it off with a chain wrench.

@waltsailing2009 2 ай бұрын

Google blackstone labratories and order an oil sample kit. This will give you a baseline for engine wear of specific elements, contamination from water or coolant. Change the oil, it’s going to be black, that’s normal due to exhaust gas soot. Check the dip stick oil level prior to running every time. Diesels can and will loose oil. Push preheat and count to three before starting. And boat engines are typically at a slight angle, so determine the correct level on the dip stick. Go take a day long diesel repair course for boaters. Have fun,,,

@millshardware3352 2 ай бұрын

Good morning from Vermont!

@jamesinc87 2 ай бұрын

It's normal for oil to go black fairly quickly, but when in doubt you can always send a sample off for analysis.

@itsverygreen532 2 ай бұрын

Always prime your new oil filter with oil before fitting. Also, oil with gasket, makes it much easier to remove in future.

@woollamiainternationalfilm5285 2 ай бұрын

You guys are doing a great job, remember to go easy on yourselves. Settle into the groove and saviour the experience. It all becomes a bit easier as familiarity grows.

@SteveN3695J 2 ай бұрын

Always a good move to set up for "easy" oil changes. This will encourage you to change the O/F more often....:)

@benshore7357 2 ай бұрын

Looking good 🎉 one benefit of being on u tube is instead of just you making all the decisions you have the world watching. With mostly positive comments. The collective universe with combined knowledge 🎉

@EddieSchirmer 2 ай бұрын

it might be a good idea to have some oil absorbing mats (like from Pig Mats, or whatever the brand is) for easy clean up of spills, or drips, and have a bin to fit the used and new pads, that is out of the way but still useable when needed.

@harryhungate3479 2 ай бұрын

Diesel fuel produces soot as a product of combustion which turns the engine oil black. This is normal. The engine oil contains detergents which keep the soot particles in suspension rather than allowing them to build up on the inside of the engine. Your intermittent tach and gauges are possibly related to corrosion or a loose connection in the engine wiring harness. Follow the harness from the engine to the instrument panel and disconnect the harness connectors. Spray both halves with contact cleaner and reassemble. Also check the ground connections from the engine to battery. Your vessel has been in salt water for a year, so it's about time that you should start to see problems. Ongoing maintenance is part of the joy of cruising.

@cageordie 2 ай бұрын

Diesel oil is black the moment you start it. I just changed mine. Warned up, drained every drop, added 2 gallons of Shell Rotella T6. Checked the level, started and let it run for a minute. Checked again and it was already black. A little fine carbon goes a long way.

@shaneparrish9991 2 ай бұрын

Check sensor connections, light corrosion from winter time sweating. Just went through on my Mercer 44.

@petrichor649 2 ай бұрын

It's best to fill the oil filter before fitting.

@davidsmyth5770 2 ай бұрын

As a person who started working on engines over 60 years ago, yes both internal and diesel, one of the easiest way to see the condition of an engine is to run the oil through a coffee filter when changing and then look for the glitter. And yes, I still work on cars in my late 60's just getting ready to turn 70 soon. Yes, I was under 10 when I started to help a cancer patient with his garage and gas station. I did this under his very careful watch for over 3 years until I moved homes. I've taught many people how to change oil and brakes. Also, I taught Missile Maintenance for over 12 years in the Air Force. Most owners manuals do say in high humidity or dusty areas, oil changes every 6 months are the best. With as easy as your system is to change the oil, watch the hours running and time between changes. Do you have an hour meter on the engine? Best way to track changes. What is the manufacture recommendation on hours of running? Keep a log of hours run or not run between changes. Love the videos. I have watched everything from the time of pouring the lead keel to now. Actually learned a lot of woodworking. Thanks, MSgt David R. Smyth, USAF, Ret.

@gordonooghe2056 2 ай бұрын

I live off grid and when it's raining I have a small very quiet generator as a backup. It only cost $350. I plug in a 20 amp battery charger. It would be a little bit annoying on a small boat but it sure does work great in a pinch.

@christianhegelbach3082 2 ай бұрын

Hey Steve, After all the Diesel tipps a suggestion for your solar. Make sure you don't have shade on parts of the panel. If a single cell or a small number of cells get significantly less light than all the others they start consuming energy rather than delivering. This hurts your your output far mor than a generally dirty or suboptimaley angled panel. Therefore maybe revisit the positioning of your Starlink dish, it seems to always affect at least one of the rigid panels or even both. Hope you figure It or and have an amassing summer up Noth.

@juliancrooks3031 2 ай бұрын

Good to hear you didn't destroy the engine. That would have been an expensive repair.

@TalkinAboutTheDude 2 ай бұрын

install your oil filter pre-filled about 2/3 full.

@michaelkelley6158 2 ай бұрын

I loved that last scene of you going to your boat. Beautiful boat.

@stig2795 2 ай бұрын

You have a very understanding engine manufacturer, they seem good to work with. I would have thought running the engine without oil would have voided the warranty.

@christophermcmullen5693 2 ай бұрын

You only need to hand tighten the filter. You may have a hard time getting it off.

@kiwigurn 2 ай бұрын

Such a neat way to service

@dw7444 2 ай бұрын

The oil will turn black with very little runtime, it's 100% normal and nothing to worry about. The main things to be concerned about with oil in diesel engines are run time, water in the oil, and diesel fuel in the oil. If the oil is tan and creamy or really thin and smelling strongly of diesel you have a problem. Keep in mind that lots of short trips/runs that don't allow the engine to get up to temp and stay there for a while can cause buildup of water in the oil(water is a byproduct of combustion) so keep short trips/runs to a minimum, you want to run the engine at operating temp for at least 20 minutes when you start it if possible. Not a big deal if you do it occasionally just try not to do it a lot.

@scimi7994 2 ай бұрын

Gus an Eathan, the A team hit the town woop woop

@chrisclarke3670 2 ай бұрын

Glad to see your diesel engine woes are figured out. Great luck going forward.

@curm1778 2 ай бұрын

Good to see you on the water. You're doing great.

@boblister665 2 ай бұрын

Mattapoisett is a gem of a town, hope you got to the Oxford Creamery one of my favorite stops. I know you guys like ice cream

@AcornToArabella 2 ай бұрын

Oh Oxford is well known to those sweet tooths.

@dougstewart1817 2 ай бұрын

Try foam earplugs from the hardware store when you sleep. I have the same problem with night time noise waking me up. The ear plugs are cheap and do the trick for me.

@rsluggy6485 2 ай бұрын

For some reason, I especially love the little Victoria sidetrip to go get the two solar panels.

@AcornToArabella 2 ай бұрын

Boating!

@SteveN3695J 2 ай бұрын

Try to avoid over tightening the oil filter. Hand tight is adequate. When you remove the filter it will seem tighter than when you installed it...!

@fordfan3179 2 ай бұрын

Take some comfort in knowing it wasn't anything super serious and knowing when to bow to a professional who sees stuff like this everyday. Is the Dodger on your list? I'd love to see something that looks as nice as the rest of the boat.

@AcornToArabella 2 ай бұрын

Dodger is definitely on the list, we are hoping to pick it up from the fabricator some day soon!

@charlestosi5199 2 ай бұрын

Would’ve wonderful and appropriate if you could stop at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine. They would love it as would the folks at Brooklin Boatyard.

@tachtruth Ай бұрын

wait for the glow plugs to cycle before turning the engine over

@IstasPumaNevada 2 ай бұрын

Robin, the basic idea is that you have two types of power: DC, direct current, and AC, alternating current. Direct current just pushes electrons through a cable in one direction, while alternating current transmits the power by pushing and pulling electrons in a never-ending cycle. Batteries are always DC, and house current, wall outlets, is AC. Any time you convert power from one of those types to the other, there are efficiency losses. So rather than converting the DC of battery power to the AC of a regular house-type wall outlet, and then having the plug convert AC back to DC for the Starlink device, it's potentially more efficient to go directly from DC to DC. Please note, I'm not trying to mansplain, I only chimed in because you said you had no clue about any of it and I thought I could impart interesting and useful information concisely.

@ki6hzs 2 ай бұрын

Always go with the Wix oil filters… John.

@swiss_2k 2 ай бұрын

Oil should be black as besides lubricating it also cleans the engine. If it’s not black, then you have a problem.

@Omnis2 2 ай бұрын

Your kitchen is gonna smell lovely for a whole week lol. Diesel oil is lovely stuff.

@shanemeyer1036 2 ай бұрын

Check out Project Brupeg they got some solar panels that you can stick down and walk on that they recon are great.

@roncindyerickson1609 2 ай бұрын

If in doubt, you can cut your oil filter in half and inspect the paper filter element for any metal, i.e. bearing debris.

@larryanglada5131 2 ай бұрын

I like to pump or pour in a quart of clean oil and then empty it out to clean a little more of the sludge in the pan and clean out the pump and hose.

@rick91443 2 ай бұрын

Happy Friday. Bit late today...cheers rr Normandy, Fra.

@bvalt1 2 ай бұрын

If you need any decent mahogany or red cedar or oak, there is a great lumber yard about a mile from you Mahoney's. I'm a contractor, and I use them as my primary lumber source. They are a wonderful family outfit and have great quality wood, and hardware of all sorts. If you need any specialty fasteners I also have a great source just over the line in Tiverton RI

@jhorrocks8108 2 ай бұрын

Steve, don't be discouraged by black engine oil. All that blackness is gunk that is NOT stuck to the inside of the engine. Black means the contaminants are taken out, a good thing. Everyone remember to do this with warm oil, please, more guck is in the liquid vs. on the parts when it's warm

@terrybaker8349 2 ай бұрын

A few comments. 1. Discoloured engine oil is normal for a diesel. 2. Prefill the filter prior to fitting. 3. Only hand tighten the filter. 4. Hard is as you found out usually lack of fuel and in you case an air leak. 5. If the tachometer is droppingnout and an alarm sounding it can be that the batteries are 100% charged and the alternator drops out (to protect alternator). This causes an alarm to sound (no charge). We disconnected our 100% full warning alarm as it sounded constantly once the battery was full.

@Ayns.L14A 2 ай бұрын

Happy Friday everyone!!!

@amicidavinci 2 ай бұрын

I don't understand why you wouldn't pre-fill the filter, especially since the orientation is perfect for doing that? Plus, oil filters should be hand-tight plus 1/4 turn.

@ctown6971 2 ай бұрын

Might want to put some fresh oil in the new filter so to prime little easier. Just a thought. Same for fuel also.

@danielgriffith7694 2 ай бұрын

On your initial start of the engine, it’s very obvious that you have a leak in the fuel system, unless you didn’t prefill the fuel filter as well as the oil filter, if you continue to have hard starting problems, the fuel is draining back somewhere 👍

@paulvlug-zu4tz 2 ай бұрын

Best way to test old sump old is to put some on your finger and thumb then wipe the finger and thumb together within 20 seconds the blackness will disappear if not you are not changing your oil enough.

@joecioe8566 2 ай бұрын

Nice video, glade things are getting squared away

@sail027li 2 ай бұрын

Tending to the excessive amount of gear aboard is taking away from maintaining and enjoying the boat itself!

@myfavoritemartian1 2 ай бұрын

?When you reverse the 3Gpm pump, does the new oil go back through the same filter? If so it is pumping the collected crud in the new oil. In this case, you remove the filter and use a bypass cap. You don't need to filter the old oil or the new oil any ways.

@waltsailing2009 2 ай бұрын

Boom shade… swing the boom all the way out. And sw wind aims boat mast shade over panels,. Suggest tilt also. You need to tilt the panels normal to the sun. And shut off the starlink when you don’t need it.

@roymccomb8749 2 ай бұрын

Maybe someone makes a generator that you could put in the water and use the tidal current to generate electricity while you’re on the mooring line. Boat looks great guys…. Enjoy the sailing season

@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665 2 ай бұрын

The problem is for hydro generation at the moment you've got to have a flow equivalent to 5 knots or more. Probably better off with more deployable solar at anchor or compact vertical axis wind turbines. Spinning blade horizontal are lethal and cause problems with solar shadowing. Have a look at the Flynn solar sail array system ..DIY your own .. 🇬🇧🧙🏻‍♂️

@boooshes 2 ай бұрын

No such thing

@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665 2 ай бұрын

@@boooshes There are hydro generator legs .. they look like an outboard trolling motor .. but in reverse. As you sail it turns the prop and generates a current. There are very few places I've seen as anchorages or marinas where the tidal currents run fast enough to allow one to function at a mooring. Not easy moorings they tend to be in tidal river estuarys or bays with narrow entrances and high tidal ranges. Unless you live there it's not going to be even worth trying. The ones I have seen tend to sweep large amounts of weeds or debris past so you would end up with it hanging off lines rudders and props ..even wrapping round the bows if on a swivel mooring. So it can foul the generators legs and prop if left down.

@georgekaler9672 2 ай бұрын

Hi Steve and Robin. None of the hardware stores around here have pine tar. The recipe for boat soup is one part turpentine, one part linseed oil and one part pine tar. Do you think the pine tar Amazon sells for use with horses is the same stuff that I would use in mixing up a batch of boat soup?

@thistledown6026 2 ай бұрын

Couldn't the fuel issue be the main problem, with the oil pressure dropping out as the engine falters due to inadequate or inconsistent fuel supply? I know it doesn't explain low oil level, but that could be a totally separate issue and may not recur. Maybe check fuel filter and check the fuel filter seals and gasket for an air leak if the engine stalls again. Use red electrical tape to mark the individual tools you need for bleeding the fuel lines and injectors and laminate a "cheat sheet" for the steps to take...may come in handy in a channel or on a lee shore.

@kathysarmcandy1992 2 ай бұрын

You might want to consider filling the oil filter before installing so it doesn't spend more long seconds running without pressure.

@oomwat6101 2 ай бұрын

Black oil is fine .... you only need to worry when you see sparkly bits in there ;) Panic when you see chunks!

@agentmango 2 ай бұрын

You may find that your sleep will improve with custom fitted earplugs for sleeping. Find a medical office that does hearing aids and ask for sleeping earplugs, they'll take an impression of your ear canal and have them made. Total cost ~ $150.